Popping Off About Pop Culture

What’s better than watching some badass gals from the BK (a.k.a. Brooklyn) battle it out? Not much if you are a crazy connoisseur of tumultuous reality TV like me. That’s why I couldn’t resist catching Oxygen’sBrooklyn 11223 (Mondays, 11/10c)

The combination of characters make for some compelling TV. You’ve got Christie Livoti who can’t seem to believe that former BFF Joey Lynn Tekulve could be telling the truth about not having been with, in the biblical sense, Christie’s ex-boyfriend. And you’ve got Joey Lynn, who wants to clear her name and wash her hands of the whole mess.

To complicate matters, each girl has her own crew whose members aren’t afraid to go at it on behalf of their respective “leaders”. And to top it off, the whole community can’t seem to stop taking sides and talking about what could or could not have taken place.

It’s like West Side Story — not on steroids, but estrogen.

Brooklyn 11223 is what happens when keeping it real on reality TV goes very right. These former forever friends are for real enemies and not trying to fake it for the cameras.

Recently, The Ride chatted with Joey Lynn who talked about the show, Christie, codes of honor, and something she keeps very much a secret.

The Ride: Hey, Joey Lynn! How are you doing? Thanks for taking the time to chat. Watched the show. Great stuff. You already have people up in your business, what made you decide to get involved in reality TV and now potentially have untold millions in your business?

Joey Lynn:I was never interested or had a thought to get involved in reality TV. The opportunity came which is rare, and I took it and ran with it. I don’t care that millions are in my business because I have no regrets about anything I’ve ever done and I am proud of the person I am. The only opinions that matter to me are my friends and family and they support me 100 percent.

The Ride: What has the experience been like for you?

Joey Lynn: This experience has been a crazy one! It brings up feelings from the past, memories from the past — some being good and some not. It’s a crazy adventure but I’m glad I did it. If it takes off, good for us. If it sinks, it was fun while it lasted. It does hurt to hear these girls talk so much crap about me and call me names. But when a person judges me, it doesn’t define who I am, it defines the type of person THEY are.

The Ride: Is your relationship with Christie really done for? Can’t believe you (the both of you) would let a guy get in between you.

Joey Lynn: The relationship has been done with me and Christie and it’ll stay like that. Even if there was a possibility for us to put the baby stuff aside, her friends would never let it happen and would never stop gassing her head up with nonsense. Me and her don’t physically or verbally fight ever. It’s her friends that cause most of the drama.

The Ride: Guys seem to have a code of honor. Is there a code of honor among girls?

Joey Lynn: Well it isn’t written in stone but there are many girl codes. I, for one, would never date a guy after one of my friends dated them. It isn’t cool to talk behind each others backs. And most importantly to me, you support and defend your girlfriends whether they be right or wrong.

The Ride: Now that you and Christie are no longer BFF’s, you roll with your own crew. What name would you give your crew?

Joey Lynn: I don’t know what name I would call us. Probably ‘The Party Crew’? We all love to go out, dance, drink, and meet guys! When you see the show, you’ll see how each group really is. The other group loves drama and mostly all they talk about is ‘fighting’ people or ‘knocking someone out’.

The Ride: How does one get to roll with you? Is there an application process? Some kind of test that involves being able to take a punch and give one?

Joey Lynn:Requirements include being fun, love to have a good time, and be trustworthy. And no, fighting is not a huge part of my life so being able to take or give a punch doesn’t matter that much. I would hope my friend would take a hit for me if it came down to it, but like I said, I rather hangout with people who like to have fun rather than start drama.

Not us! I’m a Gravesend/Bensonhurst girl! Yes we party in Bay Ridge, but that’s not where I come from. Other than that, I would say the girls who hang out in Bay Ridge def aren’t from Bay Ridge but def loud, like to get drunk and have fun!

Roller Coaster or Ferris Wheel?

Roller coaster 1000 percent. They’re fast, exciting, and I love that feeling when my stomach drops when I’m on one.

Hot or Cold?

Hot! Where it’s hot, there’s sun, which means a good tan for me.

How do you like your burgers?

I’m not a big red meat person but when I do eat burgers they are PLAIN. Burnt to a crisp, just the meat and bread. I skeeve condiments.

You know what really pisses me off __________

People who talk sh** just to be heard when in fact they never have proof of what they’re saying, or don’t even know me on a personal level. Jealousy makes people do crazy things! It’s always ‘Oh, I heard from this one or that one’ or ‘How do you know the truth? ‘Oh, my friends cousin was there’, or some nonsense to that extent.

If you were a subway line (e.g. ‘A’, ‘F’), which one would you be?

The N line! Ever since the first time I took a train that has been MY line. No matter where I have to go, I start out on the N and it gets me there, and the N always gets me home!

Your favorite club song?

I don’t have a favorite club song because I’m in love with so many. I abs[solutely] love house music! The only thing I can say though is when I’m in a diff[erent] city or state and Biggie’s ‘Where Brooklyn At?’ or something related to Brooklyn comes on, I go nuts. I love it.

Mets or Yankees?

Yankees of course! And the Giants hold my heart!

If you could live anywhere but there, where would you live?

I am in love with Miami — the feeling I get when I’m there is incredible. I also love Staten Island and some parts of Jersey.

The Ride: What’s the one thing people might be surprised to find out about you and does it involve having six toes on one foot?

Joey Lynn: Just because I don’t talk about doing good deeds, as no one should, I have a heart of gold. I’m so sensitive and I try to help anyone wherever needed whether it be donating clothes, food, helping some of the elderly people I know, volunteering whenever possible, or even giving a homeless person money or food when I run into one. Helping others in anyway gives me gratification more than anything in this world.

And the one thing I would love to do one day is get involved with an anti bullying organization. There is nothing more than I despise in this world than to see people be bullied. I was bullied growing up and although I have a big mouth, I still get somewhat bullied today. It’s a terrible feeling and breaks my heart to see it done to other people especially at a young age where [there’s more of a crucial impact] on your self-esteem and confidence. So yeah, it’s a secret, I’m a big softy, although I come off with such a hard exterior. Now everyone knows. [laughs]

The Ride: Why should people be excited to see Brooklyn 11223?

Joey Lynn: Any time you watch a show whether it be scripted or a reality show, you always associate yourself with one of the characters. There is so many of us girls with such different personalities, upbringing, and lifestyles, that we are easily relatable. The show is exciting, fun, and drama-filled which people love to see on TV. People who saw the first episode find themselves ‘teaming up’ with one of the groups of girls and to feel involved with a team. Just like in sports, you find yourself rooting for them. It’s real, it’s in your face. And for some reason, people, especially [those] who don’t live here, are fascinated by New Yorkers, by Brooklynites.